Will evaluate the team during league final: Walsh

New Delhi, Jan 9: India’s newly-appointed chief hockey coach Terry Walsh Thursday hoped that the team will achieve the realistic targets set for the Hockey World League Final starting Friday at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium here.

India are in a tough group with Olympic champions Germany, World No.4 England and New Zealand. World champions Australia, Olympic runners-up the Netherlands, Argentina and Belgium make up the other group.

India start their campaign against England and Walsh said the team will be evaluated in avery aspect during the tournament. For Walsh, this will be the first assignment with the team.

“We will be evaluating the team on the improvement that they have shown in the League and how well the team handled the pressure during the tournament. We have put a training methodology in place which helps us evaluate the players psychologically keeping each one’s individual performance as well as collective efforts as a team,” the Australian said.

Walsh said the tournament will help him to evaluate how the boys have improved from the training sessions under him.

“This tournament will help us see if the boys will be applying the techniques that they have learnt over the training sessions with them,” he said.

Walsh said the training sessions were of the top standards.

“We are trying to bring many of those things in our system especially the physiological part. I know this cannot be done overnight but the team has already started implementing it,” he said.

Asked about the team selection, Walsh added: “I am happy with the selection committee’s team line-up and training them is my responsibility.”